The Incident at Pound Ridge
by caskettfan1391
Summary: Based on the promo for The Incident at Pound Ridge
1. Chapter 1

JOSH POV

I keep asking myself why I let Kelsey talk me in to coming to this stupid company picnic. I should have known that he would be here that he would be standing there looking all smug knowing that he is the reason that Liza and I are no longer together. I shouldn't have been surprised Kelsey even mentioned his name but I was so focused on getting a coloring book published to help pay for the increasing rent on my studio that it didn't even dawn on me that this was going to be an uncomfortable day.

I told Clare that I would take her on a proper date and this is not whaat I really wanted to do but yet here we are. Clare could sense that something was wrong so I had to tell her, everything… about how I went to propose and I found them kissing outside of the room, and how it still hurt to acknowledge him because while I had forgiven Liza, I had given her a free pass…I just never thought she would use it…but him…this "Charles" well he knew full well that she wasn't single and yet he goes after an employee…If there is a bro code Charles definitely broke it.

Before I could calm myself back down Kelsey grabbed me and took me over to see Charles.

There I was standing there facing him and the more I looked at him the angrier I got.

"Charles you remember Josh?" Kelsey said

"Yes, I do, the tattoo artist right?" Charles responded "Nice to see you again" He reached his hand out to shake mine and all the pent up anger that I had been feeling since the Hamptons came to the surface and well.. I punched him, right in the face...right in front of Liza, Clare and Kelsey and famous authors that I hadn't even heard of.

"What in the world was that for?" Charles asked.

"That's what you get for sleeping with your employee" I retorted.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but if you will excuse me I need to go get some ice"

Charles left and Liza followed after him.

I followed Liza and I tried to explain but she wouldn't listen to me. She disappeared and so had Clare.

So I found Kelsey and told her she needed to find someplace else to stay and I headed home.

Liza POV

Pauline was walking towards me and suddenly I have forgotten how to breathe. I think she knows that Charles isn't interested in getting back together with her and by the look on her face I think she knows it is me.

"Hi Pauline, have a good talk with Charles?"

"Umm well we aren't getting back together at least that is what he said. Do you know if he is seeing anyone?"

Damn is this a test? I don't do well with tests. "Not that I am aware of but he is a pretty private person"

" Oh come-on we were together for years and he isn't even entertaining the idea of getting back together. There has to be someone else Liza"

"I really don't know…Oh that's not good" I said as I saw Charles and Josh being brought together. "Excuse me"

Crap crap crap this is not good at all and I watched as the thing I feared happened. Josh punched Charles I run up to see if I can do anything, and then I hear it "That's what you get for sleeping with your employee" oh no that's not good. I saw Charles walk towards the pool house I followed him to check and make sure everything was ok. Josh tried to talk but I just couldn't deal with him I told him to stop following me and leave.

Inside I found Charles standing in the kitchen looking for some ice. He turned as soon as he heard the door close.

"Liza!"

"Charles I am so sorry I have no idea what just happened…" He cut me off with a kiss to stop me from continuing to ramble.

After we broke apart I looked up at him and noticed that there was the beginning of a bruise forming around his eye. I ran my fingers against his cheek he leaned down to kiss me quickly, then broke apart and looked at me in the eye and said "Don't go home tonight"

I looked into his eyes and started speaking before I even knew what I was doing.

"I am a 41 year old mom from New Jersey…I'm the case from the _Deciding Decade"_

Charles took a step back and grabbed something.

Charles POV

"Pauline I have told you multiple times. I do not want to get back together I want to finalize the divorce"

"What is her name?"

"What are you even talking about. You are the reason that I don't want to get back together, nothing would change that!"

"But"

"No buts! The thing is if you had told me a year ago that you needed some time off that you felt like you were losing yourself in our marriage I would have given you the space and the time to deal with it….but you didn't you made the choice on your own so I have made mine. It is over"

I watched as Pauline walked out of the pool house. I grabbed the wine I came in for and headed back outside.

I saw Pauline rush over to Liza and before I could do anything I got stopped by Kelsey.

"Hey Charles there is someone I want you to meet well re-meet actually, he is our newest member of the Millennial family"

Oh no I thought as I saw Kelsey bring Josh Liza's Ex-Josh over to me. This is not going to be good.

"Charles you remember Josh?" Kelsey said

"Yes, I do, the tattoo artist right?" I responded "Nice to see you again" I reached my hand out and before I knew it his fist was coming for my face.

"That's what you get for sleeping with your employee" the attacker said

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but if you will excuse me I need to go get some ice"

I walked back into the pool house started rummaging through the fridge looking for ice that wasn't there because of the party. I heard the door I turned and I saw Liza. Beautiful Liza the woman I would literally do anything for including getting punched by an ex.

She began to talk but all I could do was kiss her, she was what I needed after everything that had happened today. We broke apart and Liza stroked my face looking at the damage that Josh had done. I quickly kissed her and then said "Don't go home tonight"

""I am a 41 year old mom from New Jersey…I'm the case from the _Deciding Decade"_

I honestly had to keep myself from laughing I stepped back and grabbed a folder that was hidden in plain sight and I said "Open it"

Liza opened the folder and the look on her face was priceless. "You have known? For how long?"

"Well honestly I had always been a bit too skeptical nothing about you (aside from looks) shows that you are in your twenties. But the day that you were extremely passionate about not revealing the identity of the patient in the _Deciding Decade_ I knew. So basically I called up an old friend from High School who went to Dartmouth and they gave me their login"

"Sooo where does that leave us?"

"Well I believe as I said before…Don't go home tonight" is all I managed to say before kissing her.


	2. Chapter 2

Ok so I was not planning on writing more this quickly but I decided to give you a very short chapter for while you wait

Liza POV

 _Oh my god did that just happen? Did we just…? Oh no this is not good not good at all!_

 _Well that wasn't entirely true the sex was amazing….. but the timing, oh god the timing couldn't have been worse._

 _I was laying there on the floor of the pool house as all of Empirical's authors and staff were outside having a picnic…this was not going to be good._

 _But then I looked over at the tall handsome man with the gorgeous eyes was staring at me with the biggest grin on his face and all my fears disappeared. He knows my age he has known my age and he hasn't thought I was crazy or disturbed. He loved me, he has loved me and he loves me for who I am no matter what my age. There is nothing that could destroy this moment._

"Charles?" a familiar voice called. _Oh shit except Pauline._

Charles POV

WOW

 _That was completely better than page 58. While I loved Pauline and cared about her deeply I mean we had been together for so long there would always be a part of me that would care deeply for her but this thing with Liza was 10x better. There are literally no emotions that can express that way I feel when I look at Liza. It is like I had always been missing a part of me and that she was that missing part._

 _This would be a complicated situation but if she feels even half as passionately about me as I do for her there is no way that anything would keep us from being together for the rest of our lives._

 _I turned my head to look at Liza and she was even more beautiful than I remembered how is that even possible? She was already the most beautiful woman I had ever had the pleasure of meeting…and I couldn't help but smile because for the first time since my daughters were born I felt that immense happiness that only comes around when you know that you are blissfully happy and nothing can change that._

 _"_ _CHARLES" Shit why does she always have the worst timing in the world._

 _I turned to look for Liza but she was already gone._


End file.
